Falling into the Wrong Hands
by MusicalChurros
Summary: Pitch wanted to get revenge. He was practically starving for an opportunity to avenge himself. And when the time came, he was ready to make a comeback. A comeback that starts with the twelve-year-old that Jack Frost was so painfully attached to: Jamie Bennett. (Pairings: JackxJamie, hints of JamiexPitch.)
1. Prologue

**AN: **I hope you all enjoy this story! I am only posting the prologue for now to see if anyone has sparked an interest in reading this.

I will post more if people, indeed, do like this story.

So! Without further ado, let us go read (Sorry it's so short)!

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**Prologue**

A tall shadow paced on stone floor. Piercing, golden eyes glowered in thought as the owner of said eyes ranted. "I was close!" a dark voice hissed. "I was so _achingly_ close to a world without hope and wonder; to a world with nothing but fear!" The gray man growled under his breath. "It's entirely their fault!" he spat, whirling to face a lone, metal globe that was coated in bright, lit-up dots. "Those damn Guardians and their ignorant believers!" A shake of his head. "The world needs fear! Those dimwits need to get that through their thick skulls! Fear is what keeps everyone on their toes." A scoff. "That is, if the human population is able to stand on their toes without their obesity weighing them down."

He took a deep breath, folding his hands across his stomach. "No matter," he murmured, taking a few more calming breaths. "Fear cannot be banned from humanity forever. It's impossible." A wicked grin that revealed sharp, uneven teeth spread across the man's face. "Some precious fool of a child is bound to gain a fear and I will be back." A chuckle equal to the discomforting sound of nails on a chalkboard emitted from the man's thin throat. "It's a promise."

He looked around his lair, glaring at the small grains of Nightmare sand that remained. "I should look into a way to make sure that I will never again be touched by my own Fearlings…" He shivered at the distant memory of being dragged back by the black horses; the humiliation of being watched by the Guardians as his downfall took place forever implanted in his mind. He sighed, circling the metal replica of the Earth. His slow footsteps echoed off of the cool, brick walls.

"In the meantime, I feel it is an...er,_ appropriate_, time to start plotting my uprising. After all, revenge is the best cure for soothing battle scars and whatnot." His eyes narrowed into slits. A bony finger tapped his chin repeatedly as he tried to piece his plan together. "But where to start, is the question…" He stopped walking as his gaze landed on the globe once more. But instead of looking at all of the dots as a whole, he was looking at a particular dot in general.

A particular dot that was resting on top of where Burgess, Pennsylvania was. Pitch Black, the King of Nightmares, grinned maliciously. It was perfect; foolproof. "Let's start with you, shall we, Jamie Bennett?"


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: **I'm glad for the response I got. It was actually bigger than I thought It would be. X3 So, enjoy the first chapter!

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**1**

Jamie raced down his household stairs, buzzing with excitement. "It's the first day of winter!" he exclaimed, hurrying into the foyer and sliding on his knees towards his shoes. Sophie, Jamie's five-year-old sister, walked into the room after hearing the commotion. She giggled as she recognized what Jamie was so thrilled about.

"Jack Frost! Jack Frost!" she chimed, nearly tripping over her own two feet in her attempt to reach her brother. Jamie laughed and handed Sophie her snow boots once she was standing next to him.

"That's right, Soph! Jack Frost is in town," Jamie said, grinning at the thought of seeing the Spirit of Winter again.

It's been exactly two years since Jamie had witnessed the defeat of Pitch and the victory of the Guardians; exactly one year since Jack had last visited him. Lucky for Jamie, he had woken up that Saturday morning to a beautiful snowfall. He had looked out his window to see the town already covered in a blanket of white.

Jamie quickly stood, reaching out and snatching his and Sophie's coats off of the coat rack and slipping into his. He reached out, intending to open the door and take off when the demanding tone of his mother stopped him in his tracks.

"And _where_ do you think _you're_ going?!" Jamie sighed and turned to face Ms. Bennett.

"Outside," he said. "With Sophie…" His mother pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and huffed.

"And you were going to tell me _when?_" she asked. Jamie shrugged and suddenly found the ground interesting.

"I don't know…" he mumbled, scuffing his foot on the tile floor. Sophie watched with curious eyes from the sidelines as the scene played out.

Ms. Bennett shook her head in disappointment, a frown working its way onto her face. "Jamie, we've talked about this! You can't just keep running off and into town without letting me know!" Jamie sighed in slight annoyance, already knowing where this was going.

A lecture and then, unfortunately, a grounding for the rest of the day.

"After that heart attack you and your sister gave me two years ago, I thought I had made it pretty clear that I don't want you vanishing into thin air. Seriously, some would think you would know better after _two years_ of playing this card than to keep doing this!" Jamie inwardly groaned as he recalled said 'heart attack'.

The incident his mother was talking about took place on the night Jamie and his friends helped overthrow Pitch. Apparently, while Jamie and Sophie were with Jack and the other Guardians, his mother had gone to check on him and found his bed empty. In a panic, she had called the police, and when Jamie and his sister arrived back home the following morning; they were welcomed by a few policemen and a sobbing mother.

"…I'm sorry, Jamie, but you aren't going anywhere." That brought Jamie back into reality from reminiscing. _Oh, god, here it comes. _"You're grounded for the rest of the day." And there was the icing on the cake. Only, it wasn't as sweet and lovely as icing should be. It was sour, cold, and it made him want to cry.

"Mom, _please_! It's been so long since I've played in snow! Sophie wants to go outside too," said girl had wandered off due to boredom. "And Jack Frost is-" Jamie stopped, realizing that his mom didn't believe in his white-haired friend.

His mother sighed. "I'm sorry, Jamie, but you need to be taught a lesson. You can go outside tomorrow. Don't worry about Sophie; I'll take her out later." Jamie deflated.

"B-but, mom-!"

"No 'but's! To your room, _now_!" Jamie exhaled and while resisting the urge to scream and glare at his mom, he hung his head and dragged himself back up the stairs and into his room. Once he had passed the doorframe, he let out his pent up anger by slamming the door as hard as he could. "JAMIE BENNETT, DO _NOT_ SLAM YOUR DOOR!" his mother yelled. Jamie rolled his eyes.

"'Don't slam your door, Jamie'," he pathetically mocked before being hit by the realization of his current situation and groaning in frustration. He walked over to his window and frowned, watching with slight jealousy as his friends and other kids of Burgess chased each other through yards and pelted each other with snowballs.

The snowball fights that took place outside really hit home. That was supposed to be him out there, having fun with Jack and the other kids. He wasn't supposed to be stuck inside his room for the rest of the day. Jamie turned away from the window, unable to keep watching.

He missed winter. He missed _Jack_. He hasn't seen Jack for a year and now he had to wait another day to see him. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at _all_.

Yes, Jamie realized he was acting like it was the end of the world, and he also realized he was acting like a kid, but he couldn't help it. He had been counting down the days until Jack arrived and when the day finally came, he couldn't go outside. Why? For a really dumb reason! Sighing for the hundredth time that day, Jamie began to head towards his bed when an idea made him stop.

What if he snuck out?

Jamie chuckled, growing excited at the idea. It would only be for a few hours, and he could lock his door so his mom couldn't find out! It was infallible!

Jamie hurried around his room, collecting a number of blankets and throwing them down in the middle of the floor but not before making sure his bedroom door was locked. He then plopped down next to the pile, tying the blankets together to create a makeshift rope. He ignored the small voice in the back of his head that kept telling him that this idea was stupid and he was making too big of a fuss over a small grounding.

Once he had finished crafting his escape route, Jamie threw on an extra sweater to ensure his warmth and slipped on a pair of old, hideous boots. He didn't like it, but he wasn't going to get frostbite from refusing to look awkward.

He tied the beginning of the rope to the leg of the dresser that sat next to his window and dropped the rest of it over the windowsill. Jamie poked his head out and took a deep breath. _It's only a few feet short, but that won't affect anything_, he thought.

Shooting one last look at his door, he swung his legs over the edge, gripped the rope tight and slid down it, inwardly cringing when he slid past the kitchen window. Lucky for him, his stunt went unnoticed by his mom, whose back was turned as she prepared breakfast for Sophie. Jamie bit his lip as he realized that his mother would be bringing something up to his room. Oh well. She'll just have to leave it at his door.

Jamie let go of the rope once he reached the end, catching his balance before the impact made him fall. Brushing himself off, he proceeded to sneak out of his backyard and ran towards the forest just outside of Burgess with one destination in mind: Jack's pond.

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**AN 2: **Hope you liked it! The real action starts next chapter. I promise to update soon! Read, review, favorite, alert….anything. ;)


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: **As always, I thank my readers for your support! Now to respond to a few reviewers!

**DevilOkami:** OH MY GAWD! SOMEONE WHO ALSO SHIPS JAMIE AND PITCH! *Squeals* Oh my god, it's rare to find people who also ship them. You have no idea how much hate I get, haha. BTW, there'll definitely be more JamiexPitch stories! :DD

**Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness:** Honestly, I get where you're coming from, but so many people have Jack fly to Jamie's window to visit with him, so I decided to do things differently. I thought it'd be cool to write Jamie sneaking out, although I might admit, it was a little OOC of him. :P

**Guest:** Thank you for letting me know! It has been fixed. Sophie is now, once again, Jamie's sister. Not Jack's. ;) XD

As for the rest of you, I greatly appreciate your support and reviews! Every single one of you make me smile. :3 Now, enjoy!

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**2**

Jamie laughed as he rushed towards the forest, stumbling over rocks in his excitement and jumping over mud puddles created by melted snow. "I-I did it!" he cried out in glee. "I snuck out!" He felt so…so _rebellious_ and _bad_! Never before in his life had he even dreamed of preforming this kind-of stunt.

He knew he would get in gigantic trouble if his mom found out. He knew he would be grounded for a month. He knew his mom would never trust him again. He knew all of this. Yet he didn't care.

It would all be worth it when he saw Jack again.

Jamie grinned as the mere idea of seeing Jack again graced his mind. Oh, he couldn't wait! They would have a large snowball fight, slide across the frozen pond, sled on makeshift sleds (since he had forgotten his back in his yard), and just hang out! Jamie practically vibrated with delight at the thought of it all.

Jumping over a log, and sliding under an incredibly low tree branch, the brunet finally came upon the place he had last seen the Guardians as a group. He smiled lightly as memories flooded into his mind.

He remembered his friends and him reaching the lake as Jack took oath. He remembered the beautiful farewell show the Sandman had given to the children. He remembered Jack's promise to see him again (which he had kept). He remembered hugging the newly appointed Guardian good-bye and waving to his childhood protectors as they rode off.

He remembered every detail.

Shaking his head and bringing himself back to reality; Jamie trekked onto the pond and looked around, searching for any sign of Jack. He frowned when he saw none. "He's here," Jamie said, trying to keep his spirits up. "Maybe he's across town." Yeah, that's it. Jack was probably busy bringing joy to the kids on the other side of Burgess. After all, Jamie wasn't the only kid to believe in Jack; thanks to event with Pitch that took place two years ago.

Hopefully, Jack would show up soon.

Jamie just sighed and sat down on a nearby rock, crossing his arms and legs. He would just have to wait.

* * *

Jack stood on the statue of Burgess's founder, grinning at the masterpiece he had created. Burgess was _beautiful_. Freshly fallen snow littered the ground and frost covered every window, displaying lovely patterns. The sight was surely one to behold.

Jack took a deep breath, a smug smile finding its way onto his face. "You did good, Frost," he muttered, leaning against the statuette of Thaddeus Burgess with a hand holding his staff steady. "You did good…" He looked around, biting his lip as he contemplated his next move. He then grinned as an idea popped up in his mind.

Jamie!

He could pay a visit to Jamie! After all, it had been a full year since he had seen the boy and he missed him dearly.

Jack then felt his cheeks grow warm and he groaned. _No_, he thought. _Bad feelings! BAD!_ Jack sighed, lightly hitting his head against the metal he was resting against. Jamie was twelve years old. _Twelve!_ There was no way in hell he was already growing a little too fond of the kid, especially since he also rarely saw him. Jack shook his head, denying it. He wasn't crushing on the kid. _He wasn't_.

Jack cleared his thoughts and hopped off of the statue and flew into the air, deciding it would be best if he went for a short joy ride on the wind to calm down before he went to visit Jamie.

* * *

Jamie shivered lightly, looking up sadly as the night sky began to rear its ugly head. He had been waiting for hours for Jack to show up. But unfortunately, the winter spirit, in fact, hadn't bothered to return. Jamie pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his arms.

He was upset. Of course he was. The kid had snuck out of his own home and waited for hours in hopes of seeing his favorite Guardian. Jamie shivered as he realized his actions caused him to seem on the borderline of obsession. He wasn't obsessed. Jamie toyed with his lip between his teeth as a warm feeling faintly stirred in his stomach.

He wasn't obsessed.

Perhaps he was…smitten?

Jamie shook his head, tousling his hair by accident. There was no way he was crushing on Jack. Nope. No sir, no. He wasn't.

But as the hurt from Jack's absence rose up in his emotions, he knew that he couldn't hide it.

Jamie was falling in love with Jack Frost.

At the age of twelve.

Life made no sense whatsoever.

_He _made no sense whatsoever.

Jamie groaned, hiding his face further from view. He was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice a lone, dark figure rise up from behind him and lean forward so said figure was towering over the distraught boy.

A gray hand shot forward and clamped down onto Jamie's shoulder, spreading cold fear throughout the brunet's body.

A dark grin was etched onto Pitch's face.

"Hello, Jamie."

* * *

Jack flew hurriedly over Burgess, searching for Jamie since his room had turned up empty.

It was meant to be a short flight; just a quick cool down. He didn't mean to accidentally fly around the country.

He cursed silently. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts and confusion about his feelings towards Jamie that he had lost track of where the wind was taking him. It wasn't until he hit Las Vegas (for the third time) that he snapped out of it and headed hurriedly towards Burgess.

One year ago, he had promised Jamie he would see him that day...

_Jamie smiled up at Jack, who was taking one last look around._

"_You'll be back next year, right?"_

_Jack smiled and crouched down, pulling Jamie in for a tight hug._

"_Of course I will, you goof. The first day of Winter; I'll be here."_

Jack mentally kicked himself. It was nearing night and if Jack didn't find Jamie soon, he would feel incredibly guilty for he would have broken a promise.

To a regular being, it would be nothing.

But Jamie and Jack weren't everyday people. They were close friends who trusted each other.

Breaking his promise would hurt that trust greatly.

Jack stopped flying mid-air, deep in thought. "Where is he…?!" Jamie wasn't home. He wasn't at the park. He wasn't spending time with any of his friends. Jack's eyes narrowed in slight thought before realization hit him.

"The pond!"

Relieved, Jack flew towards the forest, excitement coursing through him. But as he reached the pond deep within the forest, that excitement faded and horror took its place.

Limp in Pitch's grasp was none other than Jamie Bennett.

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**AN 2: **Okay…so the _real_ action starts next chapter. Woot. Hope you all enjoyed! :D


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: **Hey guys! Sorry for the incredibly late update. Midterms came up and I was studying like crazy for those. It was worth it.

So as an apology, I'm posting this chapter and will post a JamiexPitch one-shot in the near-future! *Throws confetti*

I appreciate your support and patience. Glad the cliffhanger had you guys screaming. ;D

Haha, enjoy the chapter!

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**3**

"_You'd never let me get hurt, would you?"_

_Blue eyes met brown._

"_Jamie, I'll promise you one thing and one thing only. As long as I'm around, you'll never be in harm's way."_

* * *

It was by sheer luck Pitch had stumbled upon the pond deep within Burgess's forest. To his fortune and delight, sitting there, distraught, was the exact boy he had been looking for. "Jamie…" Pitch whispered, his mouth stretching into a malicious grin.

For the past few days, Pitch had been plotting. Oh, yes he had. He has spent his free time trying to figure out what he would do with the twelve-year-old when he found him. He had thought and thought, conjuring up uses for Jamie that would break Jack and he soon came up with the perfect idea.

He would turn Jamie into a Fearling. Not just any Fearling though; oh no. Jamie would become the Prince of Nightmares; _His_ Prince of Nightmares. This would surely destroy the Spirit of Winter, and to have boy of Jamie's quality and fierceness join his army was just a bonus.

The very thought of his plan sent shivers of joy and excitement up Pitch's spine.

"You're mine now," he whispered into the air, his golden eyes locking on Jamie. He advanced towards him and once Pitch was right behind him, he threw his hand forward and grabbed Jamie's shoulder possessively. He grinned as he sensed the terror that was already starting to consume the boy.

"Hello, Jamie."

* * *

Jamie shrieked and dove forward, tripping over another rock and falling into the snow. He twisted his body around so he could keep Pitch in view as he dragged himself away from said gray man. "No…no!" he cried. "You're supposed to be gone!" Jamie slightly realized his words came out a tad bit harsher than they were meant to, but he didn't quite pay attention to that.

Pitch feigned hurt. "You wound me, child," he drawled, stepping towards him, making note of the way Jamie recoiled at his mere movement. "No matter, then. I'll fix that little 'malfunction' of a mouth later on."

"What do you mean, 'later on'?!" Jamie demanded, trying not to let the fright he contained show. Pitch chuckled darkly.

"Why, my dear boy; that is a surprise." Pitch walked a little more forward, taunting Jamie further, much to his discomfort. The brunet continued to crawl backwards until his back hit a tree and stopped him in his tracks. Pitch was on him in an instant.

Jamie craned his neck back as Pitch outstretched a hand and traced his jawline. "You've become quite dashing in these past two years, haven't you?" Well, that comment took Jamie by surprise.

"W-what…?" Jamie fully looked at Pitch, trying to figure out what he was getting at. But unfortunately for him, Pitch had an incredible poker face.

"Oh, nothing," Pitch murmured, giving Jamie an once-over before straightening back out. He looked up and watched the sky slowly be consumed by darkness. "It's time…" Jamie frowned. He didn't like the sound of that.

"T-time for what, exactly…?" Pitch smirked down at him.

"Why, time for our departure, of course…" Jamie's face scrunched into a look of confusion before realization hit him and he looked back up at Pitch with pure horror.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Pitch laughed maniacally.

"Dear boy, I beg to differ," and with that, Pitch swiped a hand over Jamie's face. Jamie's eyes immediately drooped and his mind was filled with plaguing nightmares.

"N-no…" he weakly protested, but couldn't fight it. Soon, Jamie collapsed onto Pitch, unconscious. Pitch grinned out of amusement and picked Jamie up gently.

"Sweet nightmares, my little Prince," he cooed, even dipping his head and kissing Jamie's forehead, which even he noticed was slightly out of character for him. The Boogeyman shrugged it off and then turned around, intending to make the journey back home, but a familiar voice yelled out, stopping him in his tracks.

"PITCH!"

Pitch sighed in irritation. Jack Frost always had to make an appearance, didn't he?

Turning back around, Pitch watched with bored eyes as Jack landed in front of him, pure hatred stirring in his ice-cold gaze. "Why, if it isn't Frost; here to save the day. Please do get on with it; I am a very busy man." Jack shook his head and pointed his staff threateningly.

"You have ten seconds to put Jamie down, or I swear, I'll-"

"Let me guess. You'll freeze me? Make it colder in my lair than my apparent heart? Please, Frost, at least try to be creative," Pitch droned. Jack's face fell when he realized with reluctance that Pitch was right. What else could he do but freeze things? Even if he did try to freeze Pitch, he would hurt Jamie too, and that's one thing Jack would never forgive himself for.

"Why him?! Why Jamie?!" Jack asked, trying to come up with different solutions to the situation in his head. Pitch smiled cruelly at this question and looked down at Jamie.

"It would be grand, you know? Having the boy who was once the only believer in the world at my side…" Jack frowned, dread piercing his heart. Pitch couldn't mean…

"No…NO!" Jack screamed. "You will NOT turn Jamie into a Fearling! I will not let you!" Pitch laughed, quite amused by Jack's poor attempt at a threat.

"Who's going to stop me? Surely, not you," Pitch sneered. "Jamie is mine now, Frost. He will be my perfect Prince, and no one, not even you or the other Guardians, will stand in my way."

"I'm giving you one last chance, Pitch," Jack growled, using all of his willpower to refrain from lunging forward and tearing Pitch apart. "Put Jamie down."

Pitch gave Jack the same look he gave him when he took his staff two years ago. "Mmm-no."

Something in Jack snapped.

Jack cried out in rage and flew forward, fully intent on bringing Pitch down. He didn't even pay attention to the fact that Jamie was still in Pitch's arms. He just wanted to hurt Pitch.

Pitch looked on at the scene, bemused, before conjuring up black sand, and, with a free hand, sent it spiraling in Jack's direction. Jack skidded to a halt in mid-air and the teen jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"PITCH!" Jack snarled in anger, lunging at the man again. He raised his staff up above his head, hellbent on bringing it down and launching an array of attacks on the gray man. But a soft whimper from a comatose Jamie brought Jack back to reality and he slowed down, his eyes widening as he looked at the boy.

Pitch decided to use this distraction to throw another round of nightmare sand at the winter spirit. This time, Jack noticed the attack a second too late and the sand barreled into him.

Jack yelped and crashed onto the ice of the lake, the surface below him cracking just a smudge. His head slammed against the frozen water and Jack shook his head slightly as stars swarmed his vision. He dizzily looked up and saw Pitch laughing madly about his downfall.

"J-Ja..mi…e…" Jack whimpered, his world going dark around him. The last thing he remembered seeing was Pitch's figure walking away with the most important person in his life.

He had failed to protect him.

He had failed as a Guardian.

Pitch had Jamie.

He had failed.

* * *

"_You'll never be in harm's way."_

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**AN 2:** Really hope you guys liked it and I promise the next chapter will be up soon!


	5. Chapter 4

**AN**: …well-sorry-for-the-ridiculously-late-chapter-I-ho pe-you-enjoy-it-sorry.

Also-sorry-for-the-short-chapter-next-will-be-long er-I-ran-out-of-ideas-for-this-chapter-so-yeah.

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**4**

"You're not gonna get away with this."

Pitch grinned to himself, turning around and facing Jamie, who was sitting in one of his many ceiling cages. The boy had his arms crossed and a scowl planted on his face, but he wasn't fooling anyone with his calm façade. Pitch could _feel_ the fear that he was hiding behind that dangerous look of his.

"Really now…?" he asked slowly, sauntering towards him and smirking darkly up at the brunet. "Do explain your reasons for believing so, child, for I'd love to be amused." Jamie's glare intensified.

"Jack will come. I know it. He'll save me and then you're _really_ in for it." Pitch almost felt sorry for the boy. He sounded so confident; so _sure_ of himself.

_Almost_, felt sorry for him.

"Oh, I am _trembling_," Pitch practically snorted, rolling his eyes. "_Please_. Frost hardly knows how to get here, and even if he were to arrive, he would be lost to my many dark passageways. Face it, Bennett boy, both of you _lost_."

Jamie gasped softly, eyes widening. He shook his head a couple of times before speaking up. "No. No, we didn't lose. You're wrong. Just you wait. Jack's bound to come barging in at any moment and-" Pitch snarled, cutting Jamie off. The Nightmare King's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits and Jamie recoiled at the sight.

"Enough talk of that foolish white-haired _brat_! God, it's like you depend on him for _everything_!" Pitch disappeared in a small flurry of black sand and shadows. Jamie immediately stood and looked around nervously. He couldn't see him, but his voice carried on throughout the underground lair. "Well, guess what, Jamie?! It's time for you to learn how to be dependent on someone else for a change!" Jamie didn't like the sound of that. But before he could ask or reply, a pale gray hand shot out from the shadows and grabbed the front of his shirt.

Jamie screamed as he was dragged out of the cage and into the darkness.

* * *

"Jack…"

_Jamie…?_

"Jack, please…"

_Jamie! Jamie, where are you?!_

"Jack…!"

_Jamie, I'm coming! Hold on!_

"FROSTBITE!"

Jack's ice blue eyes shot open and the spirit shot up with a cry of, "JAMIE!" But, to his horror and confusion, Jamie wasn't the one standing over him. In the light of the incoming sunrise, he barely made out the dark shape of rabbit ears.

It was Bunnymund.

Bunny crouched beside Jack, a concerned look on his face. "Jack, what in the bloody hell happened? Why were you knocked out like that?!" Jack looked up at the Pooka before dissolving into a fit of yelling and angry sobbing.

"P-PITCH!" he cried, banging his fists hard against the frozen lake, which he noticed he had not moved from. "Pitch kidnapped Jamie! I-I tried so hard to rescue him," Jack choked out a sob. "But Pitch knocked me out before I could even grab at him." Another sob emitted from the Guardian's throat. "I-I failed! I failed as a Guardian! I-I promised him. I promised that I-I would always be there f-for him! That I would _always_ protect him! A-and I FAILED!" He punched the ice again, ignoring the pain that shot up his arm.

It took Bunnymund a couple of minutes to process everything.

_Pitch kidnapped Jamie!_

_I failed as a Guardian!_

_I promised him!_

"Pitch is back…? He took Jamie…?!" Bunny blinked, disbelief clear as day on his face. "This isn't good," he mumbled to himself before turning back to a distraught Jack. "Frostb-Jack," Bunny began, deciding now wasn't the best time for teasing nicknames. "Jack, I need you to calm down. Can you do that, mate?"

It took Jack almost thirty minutes to calm down from his state of hysteria.

"Okay, good…" the Pooka breathed, glad they were getting somewhere. "Now, Jack," the Winter spirit looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. "I need you to tell me what happened; the full story, if you will..."

So Jack began talking, trying his hardest not to break out into another guilt themed frenzy. He told Bunny about his joyride on the wind, aka, his reason for not being in Burgess before nightfall (leaving out the part in which he came to a realization about his infatuation with Jamie, of course.). He told the other about arriving at the lake and seeing Jamie practically lifeless in Pitch's arms (Bunnymund had to spend five minutes calming Jack down again after the other recalled said event.).

Jack couldn't contain his trembling as he described his and Pitch's short battle. "The attack caught me off-guard. I was…I was about to strike Pitch when I saw…" Jack took a deep breath. "…Jamie looked so small. He was shivering and whimpering and just looked like he was in _pain_. I stopped when I saw him like that; I couldn't move. All I was thinking was, 'how could I have let this happen to him?!'."

Bunnymund looked at Jack with sad eyes. The Pooka knew how close the boy and Jack were. In fact, all of the Guardians held a soft spot for the Bennett boy. After all, without Jamie, Pitch would've won the horrid battle two year ago.

Jamie believed in them; he _saved _them. And now, Bunny decided it was time to return the favor.

"The Guardians and I will help you save him." Jack's eyes widened and Bunny felt a pang of sadness when Jack practically collapsed with relief. "But, first, we need to figure out what Pitch wants Jamie for…" Bunnymund didn't miss the way Jack's hopeful demeanor crashed. "Jack? Do you know…?"

Jack was trembling again. "B-Bunny…P-Pitch said he was going to t-turn Jamie into a F-Fearling."

Bunny couldn't believe his ears at Jack's next sentence.

"More importantly…his P-Prince of Nightmares…"

* * *

Somewhere in the depths of an underground lair, piercing yellow eyes slowly replaced coffee brown ones as an older, ancient voice roared with maniacal laughter.

"I won, Frost! I won!"


End file.
